Notifications:   Last updated 27th July 2010

Shown above left is the new lapel badge available from the club at £3.00 each and above right is the the new club flag which will be flown on match days throughout this year.

Hinckley Bowling Club is now in its Centenary year and celebrations began in earnest on April 5^th. the season’s Opening Day. We have been planning since October 2005 and raising funds since early in 2006 and to date the club members have produced over £5000 from a levy on our match fees, our winter social programme and through organizing a number of special events. This will continue and should bring our total to well over £5500 by the end of the season. The committee is extremely grateful for the generosity of playing and social members in reaching such a target which should allow us to stage the whole programme financed independently of normal club funds.

We have purchased the flag and lapel badge shown above as permanent mementos of this special year and have other items of memorabilia suitably endorsed to give away to visiting teams during our season. On our opening day the Lord Mayor of Hinckley Councilor Keith Lynch attended and rolled a silver jack down the green to formerly open the Centenary year. This accorded with the ceremony in 1911 when Mrs. Chorlerton did this to formally open our green. This silver jack is mounted and is displayed in the club house, and we intend to do the same with the jack used for this year’s ceremony.

We have seven other special events planned through the season over and above our heavy regular programme of fixtures, club, national and county competitions so it will be a very busy year. All the matches are highlighted on our events page but the special matches will be featured on the website in more detail at an appropriate time. To give you a for-taste of the events we have:

• Bowls England – A team representing the national governing body will play against a HBC team.
• Club Challenge – Six local clubs invited to send a rink to play against our club members.
• Midland Counties B A – A team selected from the Midlands area will come to help us celebrate.
• Ladies Invitation – A match consisting of rinks of two men and two ladies as a joint celebration of our centenary and Hinckley Spa Lane Ladies 25^th. Anniversary this year.
• Royal Household – We have been invited to play at Windsor against team from the R H bowling club.
• The Presidents Challenge – An afternoon when all the HBC Past Presidents are particularly invited to celebrate our year. Those able will play against rinks of club members in what I expect to be a keenly fought contest.
• Leicestershire B A – The county will bring a team of personalities we should know well, to play and enjoy a good old chin wag.

All of these events except the visit to the Royal Household will be at our club with the game played in the afternoon. Each will be followed by a meal provided by our chef, a short period of formality, then an opportunity to socialize with our visitors. Spectators will be welcome to sit in our patio area or on the benches placed strategically around the playing area where they are welcome to enjoy the facilities of the club bar. However if you want to be intimately involved and be invited to play, join the club.